The sudents notice glaring issues with the system
by Sapphire's Ink
Summary: In which the student body starts noticing everything wrong wih Hogwarts and Snape knows more magic than he lets on. Starts slowly.
1. Ink issues

**So, me and my family noticed a lot of stuff wrong with the Harry Potter franchise and/or a lot of ways it could be changed to be better.**

**If you've noticed anything similar, please leave a comment!**

It was the day that Hermione ran out of ink for her notes and subsequently asked around afer a student store that she realized there was no student store where she could restock.

She asked McGonagall, who advised her to wait for the next Hogsmeade weekend (which was two days from then) for one of the older years to fetch a few more ink pots.

She didn't have any money, was the issue. All of the students were willing to do it as long as they had monetary compensation, which was impossible for her since she didn't even have a knut left from he beginning where she bought the supplies that were supposed to have lasted her all year - a massive understatement in terms of ink. She didn't want to be one of _those_ friends, so she didn't ask Harry for money, and she knew Ron's family wasn't well-off so he was out too. Neville, who didn't like the system either, noticed her plight and just told her to use one of the school's owls to message her parents.

It was the best idea she'd heard all week, since the owls only wanted to be repayed with food, so that Saturday, she stole from Lavener's ink pot to simply write "PLEASE SEND A PACKAGE OF BALLPOINT PENS. THE OWL MUST BE FED, BUT YOU CAN SEND HIM BACK WITH THE PENS.", tucked the note into her cloak's pocket with a bit of twine rope, and went down to breakfast. She took a bread bun from her table and some fresh rat from the dungeon corridors (because she'd seen Hedwig eat bread before, but they were birds of prey and variey was always nice), then headed for the owlry. As soon as she walked in, one of the nondescript brown owls from the high rafts flew down to land on her outstretched arm.

~?~

The pens arrived promptly on Sunday evening. The box had some claw marks in it, which suggested the owl didn't quite know how to grip a package without twine, and a few of he pens were scratched but none were completely unusable. She gave the bird a rat she'd found at midday, because even though Hermione was well aware her mother was extremely prompt, she also knew the bird would be famished from constant flying.

Sixteen of the twenty-four pens lasted about a week, because other muggle-borns around the House had been stealing them. She'd taken to stashing the other six in her brasiere, mostly because even if the others figured out where she was keeping them and tried to get to them, she could file a paper complaining about sexual harassment, which she'd made very certain was a thing she could protest.

She was just thankful she had enough parchment to last the rest of the year.


	2. Wardmaster

Albus suggested multiple layers of spells and had set up a large system guaranteed to safeguard the mirror of Erised. Only Snape's portions taking advantage of his prowess as a potions-maker and his prowess as a wardmaster was up in the air.

Snape implemented a several-layered one outside of the corridor, spanning across the runemark wards and into the Forbidden Forest. Only Hagrid regularly traversed it to bring Fluffy his steaks, and even then he was under an invisibility charm and silencing charm.

It was a very intricate puzzle that only he knew and could go through. If they were to accidentally go through all of the rituals and procedures meant to give Fluffy appearance, then it would have to be a pretty coincidental set of coincidences. The chances of getting through his barriers without previously knowing the code was one in a one hundred eighty million million million.

So, at the beginning of the year, when Albus said that going into the third-floor corridor (even by the windows) meant certain death, he meant that for each individual person, it was always different. Some would fall from the sky, some would be zapped to for forbidden forest, some would end up being described like King Charles the 2nd of Spain's autopsy (no blood, head full of water, intestines rotten and gangrenous, horribly mangled reproductive system, corroded lungs, heart the size of a peppercorn) or worse would live like a retarded ridiculously inbred zombie, some would be attacked by wolves, some shot by muggle weapons, some burned to death, some turned to comatose vegetables with no hope of revival, some affected by the Dementor's Kiss, some decapitated, some would die of heart attacks, and others poisoned.

No one dared laugh at the third-floor corridor like they did at the Forbidden forest when they heard that it was charmed by Professor Snape to pick out a very individual and customized death, especially when he gave that list.

They knew enough about their Potion master to know he wasn't joking.

The wards, however, were very interesting, and were in fact the only protection against the horrific deaths Snape described.

You had to go through a portrait portal, but the portrait portal was only available if you brought along a specific potion that would let you see it, and the only way to find the potion ingredients in the correct quantities along with everything needed to actually brew it (or a pre-made potion) was you had to walk around a specific hill on the outskirts of the forbidden forest seven times in a counter-clockwise motion, but the hill wasn't visible unless you walked down a specific pathway whistling a certain tune, but the pathway wasn't even visible unless you broke a holly branch, and you didn't get the holly branch unless you swam through the river using a specific swimming style (which changed three times across the lake), but the river wasn't even there unless you recited an entire chapter from a specific play of Shakespeare's _and_ all the leaves on the trees were purple, but the leaves weren't purple unless you skipped through a certain corridor yelling about green aliens coming out of the fridge with a pair of red underwear (and it had to be charmed red and not dyed red, there was a huge difference) on your head (and Snape often giggled about how his Slytherins didn't see him, and then removed points because they were out of bed), and the underwear wasn't red unless you played a specific card game using the same exact moves and cards first, and the cards with the correct deck-stacking weren't there unless you found the block they were hidden in, and don't even get Snape started on how to get the block from a transfigured goblet in the middle of an oak tree that was only there if-

Point is, the wards are impossible to get past, even if you tried dismantling all of them. It was the highest rank of protection ward Severus had ever drawn, and this was S-rank work on each individual layer. And even after that exhaustive work on the wards which questioned his creativity enough, there was Hagrid's Cerberus, Pomona's Devil's Snare, Flitwick's flying keys, McGonagall's chess, the Blue Fire and poisons which took advantage of his potions abilities and common sense, and Albus's Mirror.

Yes, there was a possibility of someone finding out that there were highly intricate wards all over the grounds, but they had to be made sequentially and with the right circumstances, and the first ward had to be moved along to the second point within the hour, or the time limit shut down and reset. Hagrid even had trouble reciting the chapter from Shakespeare to the purple leaves to get the river despite hearing it every night (to be fair, it was fourty-five minutes long, and he tended to recite things very softly, and the vocabulary was ridiculously complicated), so only Snape knew the entire sequence by heart.

It was for the best, really. Dumbledore knew he could trust him. They were around each other enough to know that Harry Potter was safe with Severus, if only because of his heritage as Lily's son.

Gryffindor tower was put under a similar charm as Fidellius. All of the prefects, and the head boy and head girl, and all of the second-and-up students were charmed to it, but the staff present for more than five years were the secret-keepers. That is to say, everyone who wasn't named Quirrell.

When everything wasn't necessary anymore, Severus would dismantle the wards in the way only he knew how. Until then, it would remain in place, protecting the gem that would turn straw into gold, grant eternal life, and provide enough time and knowledge to learn everything.

Severus wasn't an idiot. He knew what Voldemort would unleash on the school if left unsupervised.

He just had to make sure it didn't get that far.

That was the only reason he was in the school. Really. It wasn't because he'd grown attached to these brats (even the Hufflepuffs with their pudgy faces and cute smiles) and didn't want to see them in danger. No way. He was here strictly because of business, and a vow he'd made many years ago.

...

Damn him.


	3. Forbidden Forest

**The chapters/events aren't in any linear order.**

Harry and Ron came bursting out of the forbidden forest in the broken flying car. Harry's arm had a long, jagged cut that was sure to get infected if it wasn't already and his ribs were very possibly bruised, and Ron's broken leg wasn't doing him any favours either. Random cuts and bruises littered them too, but those three really were the worst.

The car came to an abrupt halt. Ron fell out of the car, and Harry very gingerly slid out of the front seat, one hand clutching his side. He lifted his shirt; the milk-coffee skin was bruising painfully, he could see the purples and blacks blooming across his stomach and lower chest.

A lantern light and light footsteps not very far away from them alerted them to the presence of Professor Snape. Ron suggested running, but his face lost all colour when he tried and Harry couldn't move much without jostling his ribs.

"What on earth do you imbeciles think you're doing?" Snape asked as soon as he was in earshot. He set the lantern down in the soft grass and very slowly walked closer. His hand closed into a fist and for a horrifying second Harry thought Snape was going to hit Ron, until his fist lit up green and passed it over Ron's eyes. His chest was still moving, so Harry knew he hadn't died, but a jolt of fear passed through him anyways.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, pulling down his shirt so Snape couldn't see.

"Setting his leg so it doesn't heal improperly," Snape said. True to word, the bone that had been sticking out of his pants sank back down into his skin and his blood came back into his body. "There shouldn't be an infection, but tell your friend if he feels weird, sick, or like he can't stand to go to the medical wing. Let me examine you."

Still a bit hesitant, Harry moved his hand out of the way and let the older man scan him. A wave of cool, calming magic passed over his midsection, and he knew his ribs were at least a bit better, or good enough so he could walk. He pulled back the collar of his shirt, oddly embarrassed letting Snape see him out of uniform. The purpling bruises were lighter, more a sickly green, and didn't throb painfully unless he touched it. Snape's other hand, now fisted, passed over his arm, healing it.

Severus stood, took his wand out of his sleeve. He pointed it at Ron. "_Levicorpus_. Get my lantern, Potter."

Numbly, Harry picked up the only light source available to him at the moment. But a question burned in his brain as he trailed after the raven-eyed man. "Professor, how did you know we were here?"

"I have _Schutz_s_reich _barriers to let me know when students enter the forbidden forest without an adult_ selah_. Which brings me back to my original reason for being here: Fifty points each from Gryffindor House for being out of beds in night hours without the excuse of attending class, and thirty more each for entering the forbidden forest without an adult _selah_." Snape said without looking at the boy-who-lived. He made a turn left instead of right, which was where the Tower was located.

Harry was about to open his mouth to protest either the removal of a hundred sixty points or for going somewhere very clearly not Gryffindor tower, but what came out of his mouth instead was, "What's a _selah_?"

Snape froze in his tracks, then looked back with furious eyes. "Do you take Ancient Runes?"

"No," Harry answered.

"Didn't Binns cover this in class already?" Snape asked.

Harry could only duck his head.

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Can you list all the types of Archaic Arts?"

"No, I can't." Harry answered, voice a bit meek.

Snape sighed and the trees shivered in the wind. "_Why Lily ever chose your father to copulate with will always be a mystery to me._ Twenty points for blatantly ignoring lessons during History of Magic - it should've been revisited at least once a week." He continued to walk towards where Harry now recognized as the path towards the hospital wing.

The professor stopped in front of the heavy wooden door. Harry stopped behind him, wondering if something was wrong.

"The door, you imbecile. I can't carry my lantern and Mr Weasley at the same time, much less open a door, unless you would_ prefer_ I push heavy double-door open with your friend's recently surgically reconstructed fibula?" Snape asked sarcastically.

Harry got the message and pushed open the doors. Snape set Ron on one of the beds and glared at Harry until he sat down too, then moved to the office to call for Madam Pomfrey.

"Stay put until Poppy tell you you can leave. Good night." The tall man clothed in all black turned on his heel and made to leave the room.

"Professor, wait!" Harry yelled.

Snape stopped in his tracks. "What do you want?"

"Hagrid didn't open the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago!" Harry yelled, sliding off the bed. "He was innocent of killing that girl, professor!"

Snape still didn't turn, but didn't keep moving either. "Hagrid is, to me, a good friend and a colleague. He is too much unlike me to mercilessly kill. I believe your claims to be true, but where is your proof?"

"The monster Hagrid was found with all those years ago was an Acromantula-"

"Who has been routinely and carefully monitored since he was placed in the Forbidden Forest." Snape finished his sentence. "There are enough runemarks around that forest to let me know if he moves half an inch, not to mention anywhere near Hogwarts. I place them on every coven, pack, or herd in the forest to monitor them if they are in danger, but it is twofold in the way that they feel when I get too close to their home, so the Acromantula you say was Hagrid's beast, then he couldn't be the one attacking the students."

"The most logical suspects are instead the other teachers who taught here fifty years ago, or who were being taught here fifty years ago." Harry supplied.

"Hmm. Sybill and I weren't born, Albus was teaching, Minerva and Fillius were being taught, and quite a few of us were being trained. But I have felt something odd pass the _Schutzsreich_ barriers this past year or so. Alm-" Snape's face lost all its colour and he suddenly gripped his left forearm tightly.

"Professor, are you alright?" Harry asked, taking a hesitant step in his direction.

"**Fine, fine!**" Snape hissed. "I'm fine, don't come any closer, or you'll have three hundred points more removed. POPPY!"

Harry slid his front foot back just as Madam Pomfrey entered the room, still dressed in her nightclothes.

"Severus, are you alright?" Pomfrey asked, sliding next to him with a diagnostic spell already cast.

Snape sighed. "She goes up to the mountain. She raised her voice._ By God, if you abandon Maiwand, someone keeps track of your dishonor!_"

Instantly recognizing the code phrase from the old days. "She encouraged the people of Afghanistan. She led the army to a great victory, but she was shot, and she died on that battlefield. Her name was Malalai," she said softly under her breath so Harry couldn't hear. Snape relaxed; she wasn't a spy, or under the influence of Polyjuice if she knew that code.

"I brought the boys. They need to be examined. Broken fibula in one. Multiple broken ribs in the other. Standard treatments, neither are in danger of death or losing limbs."

She took a single look at Harry, came over, and rubbed her hands over his chest. "It feel half-healed. You used the Archaic Medical Arts, didn't you?"

Snape sighed. "They work as a short-term solution. Though, Hippocrates might object to them being called anything less than σειρά and σφραγίσει."

Pomfrey waved a hand as she examined Ron. "Too hard to pronounce. But if you used σφραγίσει, he's gonna have to have that rehealed."

"It's free of infection," Severus argued, "and it's not bleeding. It would be easier if you just gave him a bandage, and if it gets bloody then it'll need to be rehealed."

Poppy shrugged. "True. Your work is always adequate."

"May I leave? I must attend to a _parasite_," he hissed, rubbing his arm.

Poppy froze. "Him?"

Severus didn't answer, which was really enough of an answer for Poppy.

"_Stay safe_."

"Always."

Severus turned on his heel and left.

"Madam Pomfrey-"

"Severus is a very private man, dearie. If you want to ask questions about him, I suggest you ask them to him." Poppy said, giving Harry a few vials from her stores. "Drink these." She went back to Ron, examined him, and went back to her stores to retrieve a few potions for him. "_Renervate_. Hello, dear. Drink this for the bone density and this for the blood loss and this for your muscles and skin elasticity, and this for the pain, and come back if anything weird happens."

Ron didn't really need to question 'weird', since Fred and George's hair had turned duckling-yellow enough times for him to get a good enough grasp on the meaning. Ron downed the flasks, waited for Harry to be given his own beakers and drink them, and they went back to Gryffindor tower together.

"So, how many points did we lose?" Ron asked Harry as they walked back to the House.

"I think it was one hundred eighty, but it might be two hundred," Harry said.

"Bloody bat," Ron cursed, "Taking so many points away."

Harry might've agreed, if not for the fact that all of the points removals were entirely logical. But he didn't dare voice his opinion, instead shoving his hands in his pockets. He didn't even notice when they arrived at the portrait's entrance. Ron gave the password and dragged him through the entrance to the common room, to their chambers and into bed.

Harry felt numb. There were a few twinges in his chest. He needed sleep.

Sleep sounded really good right about now. They could investigate whatever this was tomorrow. He trusted Snape to follow up on that lead.


End file.
